The Association for Talent Development awarded Resideo a 2025 BEST Award for its contractor training initiative, which focuses on delivering technical education that translates to real-world business results. The ATD BEST Awards evaluate training programs on demonstrated impact — revenue growth, efficiency gains, customer satisfaction improvements — not just completion rates or subjective feedback. For HVAC contractors, this distinction matters because it validates that Resideo's education model produces techs who diagnose faster, sell more confidently, and reduce callbacks.

Resideo's platform covers both technical skills and business competencies. Courses range from zoning system installation and smart thermostat troubleshooting to sales techniques for IAQ upgrades and financing conversations. The program tracks performance metrics like job completion time, accessory attach rates, and service agreement conversions, giving contractors hard data on training ROI. Many distributors report that contractors who complete Resideo's advanced modules see 15-25% increases in accessory sales within six months, driven by confidence in explaining products like UV lights, humidifiers, and premium filtration to homeowners.

The ATD award reflects a broader industry shift toward structured, outcome-driven training. With the technician shortage still acute in most markets, contractors can't afford to run every new hire through months of ride-alongs. Platforms like Resideo's let techs ramp up faster on specific product lines and customer interactions. The training is modular — a tech can knock out a 20-minute zoning refresher between calls or spend two hours on a deep dive into communicating thermostats. For shop owners, the appeal is clear: measurable skill development without pulling techs off the truck for full-day classroom sessions.

If you're running a service department, this week is a good time to audit your training approach. Are your techs confident explaining the efficiency difference between a standard thermostat and a smart model? Can they walk a homeowner through humidity control without sounding like they're upselling? Resideo's win suggests that structured, manufacturer-led training — especially when it ties technical knowledge to customer conversations — pays off in both installation quality and revenue per call. Check with your distributor to see which manufacturers offer similar programs and how they track completion and outcomes.

The ATD recognition also signals that training platforms with measurable business impact are becoming competitive differentiators. Contractors who invest in ongoing education for their teams are increasingly winning service agreements and add-on sales against competitors who rely solely on OJT. As equipment becomes more complex — think modulating furnaces, variable-speed air handlers, A2L refrigerants — the gap between trained and untrained techs will only widen.